Gaston, Duke of Orleans

Gaston, Duke of Orleans (24 April 1608-2 February 1660) was Duke of Orleans from 6 August 1626 to 2 February 1660; he was the third son of King Henry IV of France and Marie de Medici and the eldest surviving brother of King Louis XIII of France.

Biography
Gaston was born at the Palace of Fontainebleau on 24 April 1608, the son of King Henry IV of France and Marie de Medici. In 1626, he received the titles of Duke of Orleans and Chartres and Count of Blois, and he held nominal command of the army that besieged La Rochelle in 1628. On two occasions, he was forced into exile for plotting against his brother, King Louis XIII, and Cardinal Richelieu. In 1642, he failed in an attempt to have Richelieu assassinated, but, following the death of his brother a year later, he was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom and fought against Spain on the northern borders of France. In 1646, he was made Duke of Alencon, and he passed with great facility from one side to the other during the Fronde uprising. Gaston died at the Chateau du Blois in 1660.